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The EO2 is officially defined as an east-west route through northwestern Greece, southern Macedonia and southern Thrace, between the Albania–Greece border to the west near Krystallopigi, and the Greece–Turkey border to the east at Kipoi:[1] in practice, the EO2 is split into two parts by the A2 motorway (Egnatia Odos) replacing the segment between Efkarpia and Lagyna.
In addition to replacing a small part of the EO2 north of Thessaloniki, the A2 motorway also provides a faster route than the EO2 between Thessaloniki and Kipoi. Since 1975, the EO2 formed part of the European route E86 from Krystallopigi to Gefyra,[2] although the section between Gefyra and Thessaloniki was dropped in October 2000.[3]
History
Ministerial Decision G25871 of 9 July 1963 created the current EO2 from all or part of the following short-lived national roads (listed from west to east), which existed by royal decree from 1955 to 1963:[4][1]
Until 1975, the EO2 formed part of the old European route E20 from the Albania–Greece border at Krystallopigi to Lagyna (north of Thessaloniki), and the old E5 from Gefyra to the Greece–Turkey border at Kipoi: hence, the old E5 and E20 overlaps between Gefyra and Lagyna.[5]